Lewis Edward DeJarnette passed away on Friday, January 21, 2022, at his home on his family farm in Gladys, Va., where he was born on Dec. 6, 1930, and where had farmed, raised his family and had lived all his life. He was 91. He was the son of the late George Raymond DeJarnette Sr. and Addie Elder DeJarnette of Gladys. He was predeceased by his first wife, Virginia Farmer DeJarnette, a brother, George Raymond DeJarnette Jr. of San Antonio, Texas, and a sister, Evelyn Harvey of Amherst, Va.

He leaves behind his wife, Jacqueline McDearmon (Roakes) DeJarnette, to whom he was married in 1985; three daughters, Evelyn DeJarnette Campbell of Forest, Va.; Roslyn Dale DeJarnette and her husband, Mark Lambert, of Chester, Va.; Jeanne Leigh DeJarnette and her husband, Jerome Javier, of Alexandria, Va., and a son, William Daniel DeJarnette and his wife, Julia Renae DeJarnette, of Bradenton, Fla.; eight grandchildren, Glenn Calvin Campbell III of Phoenix, Ariz., Amanda Campbell Goff, of Forest, Va.; Virginia Lambert (Ginna) of Richmond, Va.; Michael Lambert of Wilmington, N.C.; and Aaron Daniel DeJarnette, Zachary Nathaniel DeJarnette, Caleb Blakeman DeJarnette and Ashley Renae DeJarnette, of Bradenton, Fla.; two great-grandchildren, Jean Louise Goff (Scout) and Clayton Lee Goff III (Bubba) of Forest, Va., and many nieces and nephews. He also is survived by four stepdaughters: Belinda Dawn Ostermann and her husband, Richard, of Fredericksburg, Va., Cynthia Lynn Roakes and Barry Walker of Evington, Va., Claudia Roakes Tippett and her husband, Aaron, of Lynch Station, Va., and Kimberly Amelia Roakes Cook and husband, Robert, of Lynchburg, Va.; three step-grandchildren, Nichole, Wayne and Devin; three step-great grandchildren, Riley, Julie and Landon.

Soon after his graduation from Gladys High School, he married Virginia, whom he met at the same high school, and together they raised four children – three daughters and a son. He worked for English Construction – and did most of the construction himself on his own home, which he built on his family’s property near his parents’ residence – and, later, worked for the Mead Corporation and E.F. Houghton & Co. in Lynchburg, Va., serving at the latter as the local union president. While employed with the Mead Corporation, he turned down an offer to relocate to the company site in Vancouver, Canada, in order to remain on the family farm, which he eventually inherited from his father. He retired early from public employment so that he could farm full time, primarily raising tobacco and beef cattle, among other crops. He also enjoyed keeping a large vegetable garden, and often would give away vegetables from his garden to members of his community.

He also was passionate about sports and participated in every sport sponsored by his high school, including volleyball, basketball and baseball, and later starred as a shortstop on the local semi-professional baseball team in Brookneal, earning the nickname “Speedy” and attracting interest from the St. Louis Cardinals. He also was an ardent fan of the athletic teams representing virtually every sport from William Campbell High School in Naruna, which each of his children attended, and the University of Virginia.

His favorite pastimes were hunting, especially for deer with his close-knit hunting group in the Gladys community, fishing with his son and in-laws, and feeding his two cherished hound dogs, Katie and Jake, which he did daily by hand. He also loved to sit in his backyard, or on his back deck, and observe the activity of the Purple Martins that populated the tall, multi-layered birdhouses he erected for them in his backyard, and he relished their return to his home every summer.

Among his proudest accomplishments was that — although he and his wife never attended a university — his four children each graduated from a university, two having received master’s degrees, from institutions as close to home as Lynchburg, Va., and from as far away as Pasadena, Calif.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12, at Edge Baptist Church, 3232 Epsons Road, Gladys, followed by inurnment at the Ebenezer Baptist Church cemetery, 267 Ebenezer Road, Gladys. A reception will follow at the Ebenezer Baptist Church fellowship hall.

Finch & Finch Funeral and Cremation Service in Gladys is in charge of arrangements.

Please visit the online tribute at www.finchandfinchfuneralservi… to share a memory or send a condolence to the family or the website everloved.com/life-of/lewis-d….

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